India, April 13 -- India on Sunday tested a locally produced laser weapon and demonstrated its capability to knock out fixed wing drones at long range, swarm drones, and surveillance equipment, entering an exclusive league of countries that possess such technology, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said.

The successful trial of the directed energy weapon (DEW) system with a 30-kilowatt laser was carried out at the National Open Air Range in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.

"The lightning speed of engagement, the precision and the lethality delivered at the target within few seconds made it the most potent counter-drone system," the DRDO said in a statement. The few countries that have mastered this technology to disable m...